Soon to be a new Macgregor owner

[JohnWood]

I have put a 10% deposit down on a 1991 26S I found on Craigslist.
It's an 11 hour drive away, so I've made plans to pick it up on 4-26. The owner and I have gone over the condition of the boat ad nauseam over the phone and at this price I know I won't make the drive just to kick tires or haggle.
12 days and counting, I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve!

I cam on this forum earlier, and somebody directed me to SearchTempest, which is how I found it, so Thank you, whomever you are.

[Russ]

Awesome. That is a great boat and you will really enjoy it. These boats are fairly simple and there isn't much that can go wrong that you can't fix yourself.

Post photos when you pick her up.

--Russ

[JohnWood]

I have a few pics, but I don't know how to post them.

[Tomfoolery]

I have a few pics, but I don't know how to post them.

Here's a recent thread with info on quick pic posting (page 4), and I believe there's a sticky somewhere with details, also.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... 6&start=45

[JohnWood]

Thanks.

[JohnWood]

I do have one question:
The boat is in a different state (Louisiana) and I live in Florida. I plan to pick it up over a weekend and pay cash. I have never before bought a vehicle from another state. The owner has the title for both the boat and the trailer. He has made plans to meet with a notary close to him to sign those titles over. Can I take care of all of the other governmental red tape at the local DMV / tax collectors office in my home county? For example, can I pay the sales tax from here at home?
Do I drive it home with his existing LA trailer plate? Or just without a plate?

[Tomfoolery]

Wow, that's an original trailer. Looks clean, from what little I can see. Do check the integrity of the pole tongue (bang on it with a hammer, especially the bottom, where it meets the two channels). Needs more lights to be DOT compliant, though, including clearance lights (none in the front), and a side marker forward of that rear wheel. Being 'Over 80' (more than 80" wide, out-to-out), it's supposed to have separate clearance lights in the back (independent of the stop/turn/tail light(s), and ID lights (the group of 3 lights, 6-12" spacing), at least that's what the DOT rules are. Most inspectors don't seem to have much of a clue, though.

As to the registration, I would ask your local DMV right away. They can probably give you a 10-day temporary or transport tag, but that stuff is State-by-State, so you need to make inquiries locally. It may be that you get a temp tag in the State it's currently registered in. In NYS, light trailer (boat, travel, utility) registrations are transferrable, so the seller just signs over the paper registration and the buyer keeps the tag, good for some short time (like 10 days) and you have to update the DMV at some point. Long enough to get it home, in this case.

Buy towing insurance, like from Boat US, and check and lube those wheel bearings before hauling it any distance. If it's been in salt water, it's a good bet the bearing and brakes are shot. The brakes on mine were badly rusted, and I smoked them pretty good just towing it the 15 miles to home, grease boiling out of the bearings and making a mess and all.

Boat looks pretty clean from the outside. Good luck.

[dlandersson]

Nice looking 26S - I'm looking for one also.

I have put a 10% deposit down on a 1991 26S I found on Craigslist.
It's an 11 hour drive away, so I've made plans to pick it up on 4-26. The owner and I have gone over the condition of the boat ad nauseam over the phone and at this price I know I won't make the drive just to kick tires or haggle.
12 days and counting, I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve!

I cam on this forum earlier, and somebody directed me to SearchTempest, which is how I found it, so Thank you, whomever you are.

[dlandersson]

You need to ask your local DMV - each state is different. And you need to budget to buy us all pizza.

I do have one question:
The boat is in a different state (Louisiana) and I live in Florida. I plan to pick it up over a weekend and pay cash. I have never before bought a vehicle from another state. The owner has the title for both the boat and the trailer. He has made plans to meet with a notary close to him to sign those titles over. Can I take care of all of the other governmental red tape at the local DMV / tax collectors office in my home county? For example, can I pay the sales tax from here at home?
Do I drive it home with his existing LA trailer plate? Or just without a plate?

[Russ]

Very nice looking boat. With some compound and wax, that will clean up very nicely. I see a roller furler on the mast. Trailer appears to be in good shape from the photos.

I do have one question:
The boat is in a different state (Louisiana) and I live in Florida. I plan to pick it up over a weekend and pay cash. I have never before bought a vehicle from another state. The owner has the title for both the boat and the trailer. He has made plans to meet with a notary close to him to sign those titles over. Can I take care of all of the other governmental red tape at the local DMV / tax collectors office in my home county? For example, can I pay the sales tax from here at home?
Do I drive it home with his existing LA trailer plate? Or just without a plate?

Do NOT drive it without a plate. That's asking for trouble. Although I drove mine home from Washington without a plate, I did have a temporary dealer tag on my truck and all the paperwork.

If the boat/trailer is still registered and current, I'd ask him to keep the tags and reg and mail it back when you get home. Otherwise, I do believe you are supposed to go to the local (LA) DMV and get temporary tags. Probably worth a call to the Louisiana DMV to ask. Also, check with your insurance carrier to see if you are covered and what you have to do to get coverage if not. Some policies provide trailer coverage up to a certain length. Ask.

Cash purchase, as in literally cash? Also print a bill of sale and have both sign it. Something that says no leans on the boat/trailer paid in full.

Some states (like mine) require sellers to notarize the titles. For us, both parties must be present. He should check this out before you get there.

Now you have a signed notarized title, it belongs to you even if the local government hasn't recorded it. When you get to FL, the DMV will issue you a new title and registration. Check with FL, the states I've lived in with sales tax, require you to pay the sales tax upon titling. So, think about this when you fill out the title transfer. It's up to you how honest you want to be, but if paying cash, I'd low ball the sales figure on that document if the tax consequences are high. Sales tax on used vehicles is one of the most obscene taxes in my opinion. It's quite possible for states to collect more tax than the original purchase price if its sold repeatedly. /rant

Do some research before picking it up. Spare trailer tire? Bring a lug nut wrench and jack. What are the condition of the existing tires, bearings etc. I would stop after 5, 15, 30 miles and check the bearings and tires. Make sure everything is tied down well. Check all the boat gear: Sails, poles, boom, motor parts, rudder, centerboard. Secure stuff below for travel. Check brake lights and wiring. Look for rust etc. on the hitch and anywhere else on the trailer.

What is the height of your hitch ball? You may need to get a receiver that lowers/raises it to meet the trailer. Cross the chains when connecting to tow vehicle and make sure they aren't dragging.

Smile all the way home.

--Russ

[Russ]

Ask the seller what kind of wiring is on the trailer. My Mac M uses 5way flat wire. My truck has a 5way round connector. So I need an adapter.
The 5th wire is used for reverse brake bypass (shut off the brakes when backing up). It's not necessarily essential and a 4-5 adapter may get you home.

I'm assuming the trailer has brakes. If it's been sitting for a while, these may need to be checked. Check trailer brake fluid levels.



Oh yea, and when you pull up to your house, watch the neighbors come out.

--Russ

[mrron_tx]

Hello Johnwood : When I purchased Dauntless , My 26M . I travelled from southeast Texas up to Lake Geneva Wisconsin to buy Her. The previous owner had Her registered in Illinois.....long story short and hopefully good advice. Make sure of all the titles Florida will want...ie...boat , motor & trailer.....get notarized bills of sale for all the above I find when You deal with out of state purchases , having more paperwork than The county/tax People require is a good thing Best of Luck. Ron.

[kmclemore]

I came on this forum earlier, and somebody directed me to SearchTempest, which is how I found it, so Thank you, whomever you are.

That would be me, John. Glad it worked out.. nice looking boat!

[fouz]

Do NOT drive it without a plate.

Just wondering but this brings up a question I have. Alabama does not have trailer tags on boats. So what problems would you run into pulling your boat in another state? A lot of pulling over and telling the police?

And congrats on the boat

[JohnWood]

Thanks guys, lots of good advice to process.

From what I've been told, the trailer has been well maintained. It was recently sand blasted and repainted. The bearings were just recently re-packed. Of course, I will inspect thoroughly. I might consider bringing a new set of lights.

The trailer is not equipped with brakes. It is single axle. I thought that the stock Macgregor trailers all came with brakes. Perhaps they rusted out sometime and were removed. I will tow it with a 2004 Toyota Sienna with AWD and 3500# towing capacity. It will live in Florida, so almost all flat roads, and I don't see any reason I'll ever drive it over ice. Are brakes going to be a must for me to add?